Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1887-04-21
Reform Mail Service.

ter from the Commissioners OF Agricul-
ture to gentleman in Albany. N. T.,
to whom package Of seeds had been
sent from the Department OF Agriculture
in Washington with the usual notitica-
ton. The notification arrived, but not
the seeds, and this letter was sent him
in reply to his letter of inquiry:
My Dear Sir:-I am just in receipt of
your note of the 9th inst, relative TO a
missing package of seed sent you from
the department. This complaint is only
one OF hundreds, il not thousands, that
have been received at the department
during the present season, the writer's
of which have had similar experiences.
The date of the notification of the ship
ment OF the seed corresponds with the
mailing of the package itself. But the
difficulty is that seed going out under
the frank of the department seems to
be considered as common property, and
somebody connected with the postal
service ought to have fine garden this
year If he has taken all the seed that we
have missed. l have started another
package to your address and | COM
mend il to the tender mercies OF those
who will handle il, trusting that the
doctrine of chances will be in your
favor and finally land the seed at your
address. Please inform me if you do
not get the duplicate package.
Very respectfully,
NORMAN j. CoLMAN,
Commissioner of Agriculture.
The Tribune arraigns the Postmaster
General and his active partisan assist
ant for their wholesale slaughter Of
efficient Republicans and the appoint
ment in their places of inefficient Demo-
Gratis, and adds: 1.-The Postal Depart
ment must be badly demoralized when
the Commissioner of Agriculture has
abandoned all hope that his mail pack
ages will ever reach their destination. =
About the middle of last week the New
York Tribune quietly mailed to each
Grand Army post in the United States a
circular. The first part of the circular
was introductive, reciting the friendship
Of the Tribune for the old soldiers, and
then followed four questions as follows:
/. What does your post think of the
dependent pension bill I?
2. Is your post in favor of general
pension bill, and if so, what amount
should be fixed I?
3. What does your post think of the
veto of the special acts granting pensions
to worthy people ?
On each Of these questions please vote
separately, giving tina number of mem
bers for and against each question.
1t was requested that replies be re-
turned before May Is, when a tabulated
statement of the opinion of the Grand
Army posts Of the country,it was alleged
would be published, The circulars were
issued SO as to reach the majority of the
posts just before their weekly meeting last
Monday night. 1t was clearly expected
that the questions would then be dis
cussed and answers returned This has
been done, without doubt, in many
instances. Department Commander
Griffin, of Wisconsin, happened to secure
one of the circulars when first received,
and at once issued the following order:
HEADQUARTERS DEPARTMENT OF WIS
CoNsIN, GRAND ARMY OF THE REPUBLIC,
EAU CLAIRE, WIS, APRIL 15.-Posts of
this department are cautioned against
responding to recent circulars from the
New York Tribune. Furnish no such
information unless application therefor
is approved by national or department
headquarters. Such inquiries to be of
benefit to you, should emante from those
having your interests in charge, and not
from strangers. Official
(SigneD III. GRIFFIN, Department Com.
Leading Grand Army men are looking
for general order from Gen. Fairchild
similar in tenor to that of Commander
Griffin.